Categorically Speaking Trivia Quiz

Answer: eat it

Pierogi, also called varenyky, are dumplings which originated in Eastern Europe. They are made from unleavened dough which is filled with meat, cheese, potatoes or fruit. These dumplings, found in Slavic, Baltic and other Eastern European cuisines, are known under various names.

Answer: Sid

Did you know that our lovable, blue, cookie-eating friend had a first name before receiving his present appellation of 'Cookie Monster'? In a 2004 episode of "Sesame Street", he sings a song called "The First Time Me Eat Cookies" in which he reveals "Me was just a mild-mannered little kid. In fact, back then, me think me name was Sid. Yeah, yeah." "C is for cookie"!

Answer: Johnnie Ray

Johnnie Ray (1927-1990) released "The Little White Cloud that Cried" in 1951. Coincidentally, that same year, another song of his called "Cry" also became a hit. In 1956, Ray had a number two hit on the "Billboard Hot 100" called "Just Walkin' in the Rain". "Water, water everywhere"!

Answer: sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia

Whew! The scientific name for 'brain freeze' or ice cream headache is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. It is a trigeminal headache caused by eating or drinking something cold too quickly. Autoimmune cholangiopathy is when patients present features of biliary cirrhosis and hepatitis. Schistosoma guineensis or blood flukes are parasitic worms (ew!). Achondroplasia is a form of short-limbed dwarfism. ("The more you know...")

Answer: Jessica

All of the choices above were characters in Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice", first performed in 1605. Shakespeare invented the name Jessica, the only daughter of the the titular character, Shylock. Much to Shylock's chagrin, Jessica steals her father's possessions, i.e., money and heirlooms.

She then runs off to marry Lorenzo, a Christian. "If you prick us, do we not bleed?"

Answer: three years

A crocodile can go without eating for up to three years! Since they can eat very large meals (no need for details here), and they remain motionless for great periods of time, they are able to do without sustenance for a long time. However, you don't want to be the one to meet up with them when this time is up!

Answer: The New York Stock Exchange closed

Due to World War I, the NYSE closed on July 31st and did not reopen until December 12th. This closure of four months was the longest on record up to and including all of the 20th century. Among other NYSE closures: between 1967 and 1996 there were eight major blizzards which either delayed the opening bell or closed the exchange early; on July 14, 1977 the exchange was closed due to a major blackout across NYC; between September 11 through
September 14, 2001 there was a closure due to terrorism.
The incorrect choices all occurred in 1914.

Answer: Trygve Lie

Norwegian statesman Trygve Lie (1896-1968) was the first Secretary-General of the United Nations. He served from 1946 to 1952 when he resigned due to Russian opposition of his support of UN military intervention in the Korean War. The other choices all served as Secretaries-General of the UN: Dag Hammarskjold from Sweden served from 1953-1961 when he was killed in a plane crash; U Thant from Burma (now Myanmar) served from 1961 to December 31, 1971; Kurt Waldheim from Austria was Secretary-General from 1972 to 1981.

Answer: Frank Capra

The original director of the 1939 film, "The Wizard of Oz", was actually Richard Thorpe ("Ivanhoe" and "Jailhouse Rock"), but he didn't last long. He was replaced temporarily by George Cukor ("My Fair Lady" and "Gaslight"). Cukor was then followed by Norman Taurog ("Blue Hawaii" and "Boys Town"). Of the five directors credited, the others were King Vidor ("War and Peace"), Victor Fleming ("Gone with the Wind") and Mervyn LeRoy ("The Bad Seed"). Notice that Frank Capra was not among them? Capra (1897-1991) is famous for his 'screw-ball comedies' which include "It Happened One Night" (1934) and "It's a Wonderful Life" from 1946...and every Christmas thereafter.

Answer: Pocahontas

Pocahontas was depicted on the back of the $20 dollar bill from 1865 to 1869, and on the $20 bill in 1875. Up to and including the 20th century, Martha Washington was the only other woman to appear on United States federal paper currency. She was on the front of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1886 and 1891. Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea have appeared on coins in limited edition. On April 20, 2016, the Secretary of the Treasury, Jacob J. Lew, announced that abolitionist Harriet Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.